


An unwanted company

by Karigan0



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Rigel Black Chronicles - murkybluematter
Genre: RBC Masquerade 2021
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:49:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28697955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karigan0/pseuds/Karigan0
Summary: Aldon and Edmund made a little visit in the infirmary to an injured third year after Professor Pettigrew's death.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 51
Collections: Rigel Black Chronicles Masquerade 2021





	An unwanted company

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone ! I would like to thanks three people for publishing this story ! 
> 
> First, distracteddaydreamer for pushing me to participate to the RBC Masquerade 2021 and getting it out of my desktop where it was taking the dust since a good year ! Second, Rime for organizing this event ! Good job Rime ! And, the last but not the least, Tamari for beta this story ! X) Thanks everyone ! 
> 
> Oh, I was forgetting, and everyone for making the RBC such a pleasant social gathering ! It's wonderful to be able to share it so easily and having so many fic about it ! Thanks everyone !
> 
> Enjoy the read !

Pomfrey finished tidying the potions for the following day’s seventh year Healing class. It was becoming pretty late, and she would enjoy some time for herself. Rigel Black had drunk his last medicine of the day and was surely sleeping by now.

Deciding that her presence wasn’t required anymore, she was about to leave the infirmary when two Slytherins entered her territory. Pomfrey didn’t need Legilimency to guess the reason behind their appearance.

"Mr. Black is actually asleep. Come back later."

The first and smaller of the two seven years seemed really annoyed at the idea.

"Can we have a quick look at Rigel? I promise we will not stay long. I just want to ensure that he is fine."

Pomfrey scowled at the idea. Rigel wasn’t in any state to calm anyone. His appearance was nightmarish and clearly the result of a stay in a hellish place. If anything, seeing him usually devastated his friends. They all came in, thinking he was a little bruised from a run in the forest or something alike, before seeing his actual state. Two weeks of starvation and captivity was clearly visible through his unhealthy and breakable frame. Even Pomfrey and her magical ability couldn't erase it in so little time.

"He’ll soon be fine. Now go back to your dorm."

The first one seemed reluctant to obey, and was saved by his taller friend, showing a small box in front of him.

"Can we at least leave our gift near his bedside? So he could get it first thing tomorrow morning."

And see him on their way. Did they really think Pomfrey didn’t guess their plan? What did they take her for? An old stupid granny?

Pomfrey came closer to the two students and took the gift.

"I’ll give it to him. I think you are old enough to remember the way to your House." She made a small gesture with her hand, indicating clearly that they should exit her workplace right away.

Unwillingly, the two boys left, letting Pomfrey put their gift on the table near Rigel, with his mountain of others.

Really, this boy was loved by many of his classmates. 

* * *

Aldon and Edmund waited until Pomfrey left the Hospital Wing before silently reentering the infirmary. Aldon refused to go to bed before seeing Rigel. The worry would not let him sleep anyway. He wasn’t sure, but suspected that was Edmund's case too. In the half-dark place, where only the moonlight shone, the two boys walked to the only covered bed. It was easy to guess it was Rigel’s, even without the mountain of gifts beside it. Where had people found so many things in their dorms to offer? Aldon didn’t even know what Edmund put in his. Maybe it was empty? But Pomfrey would have guessed and shouted at the two snakes in that case, no?

Aldon put his hand between the two curtains and, silently, pushed one aside to enter.

Like all the beds in the infirmary, Rigel’s was a vivid white. Inside was lying a small, delicate and excruciatingly skinny little boy. Aldon held back a surprised and frightened scream.

_What happened to Rigel?_

Aldon had known something was up. After falling on the stairs and breaking his wrist, after Lee's murder attempts, after being attacked with smoking acid, after being kidnapped and killing a Basilisk and after catching a wild werewolf, Rigel _never_ slept in the infirmary. For him to stay two days in a row, it must have been something dreadful.

But seeing him, now, Aldon couldn’t understand. He was fine yesterday. He only disappeared for two _hours_. People didn’t even notice that he was missing before he came back. So, how could he end up in _this_ state?

He was floating in his clothes, colorless, his bones' forms visible through his skin, dark rings under his eyes, his lips white and damaged.

He looked _dead_. 

Aldon shared a glance with Edmund. He didn’t know how Pettigrow got their little friend in this state, but if he was still alive, the two snakes would have made sure to show him what hell looked like.

With any luck, he was already there.

Aldon took a seat near the head of the bed and stroked Rigel’s cheeks, checking his breath and temperature. Thank Merlin, he was alive. Edmund left the curtain, certainly to take a look at Rigel's medical papers. Pomfrey must have hidden and magically protected them, but it couldn't possibly stop Edmund.

Meanwhile, Aldon watched Rigel and ruffled his hair before taking his hand back. Rigel’s hair was greasy and full of mud. He would need to have it washed. Aldon winced and magically cleaned his hand. Then, he looked at his wand, thinking.

Could he?

He turned his wand to Rigel and cleaned his hair. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely better. _Pomfrey should look more into her patient cleanliness_. Rigel was already covered with sweat; he didn’t need mud on top of it.

Wait, sweat?

Aldon went back to Rigel's face, which was twisted with displeasure. His eyebrows were frowned, his mouth turned down on the corners. He must have been having a nightmare.

Aldon didn’t know what to do. _Shall he wake the kid up?_ But he wasn’t supposed to be here. What if he frightened him?

Rigel groaned, getting his hands closer to his head, and kept on sweating, his face switching between horrified, sad and almost crying. He began moving in his bed, and Aldon had to back off to avoid a hit. Rigel breathed more and more, louder, while letting small desperate sounds escape his lips.

Aldon raised his head at the sound of moving curtains. Edmund was back, a concerned look on his face while watching Rigel. The small boy seemed in the middle of a desperate fight with his sheets.

"We should wake him up."

Aldon snapped out of his torpor. Edmund was right. But Rigel kept moving like a devil.

"Rigel," Aldon called. But his voice didn’t seem to reach the boy. "Rigel! Wake up!"

The boy stayed asleep, frustrated with his sheets and ready to sob.

"Rigel!"

Edmund got his wand out, to wake Rigel up or make him fall in a deeper sleep, Aldon didn’t know, but before he could use it, Rigel sat up suddenly, and opened his eyes, a clear look of panic and alarm on them. He glanced around the room, before discovering the two older snakes.

Then, all of sudden, he breathed in a lot of air and put a small smile on his face, his frightened expression completely gone.

"Hi Aldon, Rookwood. How are you?"

If Rigel's clothes and face weren’t soaked with sweat and his hair and bed sheets a mess, Aldon could almost have believed the act.

"I don’t think _you’re_ the one who should ask that question."

"Yes," added Edmund while seating himself on the other side of the bed, his wand back in his pocket. "Why don’t you begin by answering?"

Rigel frowned, dropping his smile. "I’m fine. Can’t people stop asking?"

"You _are_ bedridden in the infirmary," Edmund pointed out.

"I wouldn’t be if Pomfrey listened to my demands," replied Rigel, his chin up.

Aldon let a little smile cover his face. At least Rigel didn’t lose his spirit.

"That’s not an argument in your favor."

Rigel turned his grey orbs to the Rosier heir, not pleased anymore. "And what are you doing here? From the moonlight, I would guess that it’s past curfew."

Always so smart, Aldon laughed internally, letting a playful grin show on his face.

"We got special permission to see you. Aren’t we the best upper classmates?"

"You’re lying," returned Rigel. "Professor Snape wouldn’t allow it, unless you have a very good reason."

"Seeing you _is_ a really good reason." Aldon smiled sweetly to tease the younger boy.

Rigel watched him with a blank face. He didn’t catch the hidden truth under the joke. "Why are you here?"

Aldon put a hand on his heart. "You wound me, Rigel dear. Can’t you see we were worried?" Maybe Aldon should have stopped speaking with an amused tone. Maybe, if he did, Rigel would have realized that he was telling the truth. But somehow, Aldon couldn’t stop it. Too many years doing it had redefined him. Plus, his amused tone prevented Rigel from running far away, scared by undesired appreciation. Only Draco and Pansy were allowed to show some affection without Rigel fleeing. And they wouldn't share with anyone how they managed that miracle. 

"Stop playing, Aldon." Rigel almost rolled his eyes. "You should go back to the dorms, before someone catches you."

As if Aldon would abandon Rigel just after his nightmare. No one would want to be left alone after this. And if Aldon couldn't save him from whatever happened to him, he at least wanted to keep him company while the snakelet dealt with the aftermath. 

But he couldn’t be that frank, could he?

"Are you worried for us?"

Rigel glared at Aldon, not at all amused. How did the Weasley Twins always manage to get a smile or a laugh out of him? Aldon really needed to take lessons from them.

"Do you know when you’ll be allowed to come back?" Edmund cut in, seriously.

"No." Rigel stopped trying to stab Aldon's body with his gaze to turn his face to Edmund. "Pomfrey said to wait, and she will decide. Unless the Weasley Twins put into action their promised scheme to get me extracted from here. Does leaving through the window count?"

"It depends," answered Aldon, taking a thoughtful position. "Are they planning to send you back in the Slytherin dorm, or are they gonna keep you to themselves?"

Rigel didn't move a single muscle of his face, sending a fast glare to Aldon before entirely ignoring him and turning his attention back to Edmund.

So much favoritism, Aldon was wounded!

"It's late, you should go back to the dorms to sleep," pressed Rigel.

"You're right, I'm tired," Aldon gave up. Rigel was stubborn; it was easier to pretend to follow his wishes.

But instead of leaving, Aldon grabbed the bed sheet. "Push yourself a little, I need more space."

Rigel’s eyes widened. "You are NOT sleeping in my bed!" 

Good, Aldon got a reaction. Anger was better looking than blankness on Rigel’s deadly pale face. "But you wouldn't let your lovely senior sleep on a chair, would you?"

From Rigel’s frown, he would, if that option was available. But he obviously wanted Aldon out of his sleeping place.

"My _honorable_ senior should go to _his_ bed."

Aldon put on a desolate expression. "But Rigel, you are not allowed out of the infirmary, how are you going to come to my bed?"

Rigel frowned a little more. "I am NOT sleeping with you!"

Aldon pretended to be hurt. "But how could I watch after you from another bed?"

"I don't need to be watched after," decided Rigel. Then, seeing that Aldon was a lost cause, he turned his head to Edmund. "Thank you for coming, I'm all right. You should both go now."

But, contrary to Rigel's belief, Edmund wanted to stay by his side during this hard time as much as Aldon.

And he wasn't easier to deal with.

He was worse.

"Why don't you begin by sleeping?" asked Edmund, his hand on his wand. "You need rest."

Against his will, Rigel's eyes closed themselves and the boy fell into a dreamless sleep.

"I was diverting him so he would have good dreams!" complained Aldon. "You ruined my plans with your spell!"

"It would have been worse if he dreamt of you," Edmund announced with a poker face.

"I'm trying to make him understand that he had people he could rely on. And that if he is afraid of being alone, he could call us. _Your behavior is not helping at all_." Aldon complained.

"He'll discover it soon enough with the people at his bedside."

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it !


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